Potbelly Sandwich Shop

Sometimes you just need a breather to get out of the hospital and take a walk. That’s where Potbelly’s comes in.
Get The Wreck, which is their version of an Italian hoagie. Talking with hot peppers and pickles and some root beer and you have a happy place.
Just resist the urge to hip check the guy standing in line taking your order on the tablet. He is only doing his job (jeez, I hope he worked there).

I eat here at least a few times per month. I always marvel at how quickly and efficiently they move the line. My go to choices are the chicken salad or wreck on flatbread. They are always tasty! I top it off with to-​die-​for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Staff are always friendly, too. A nice change of pace from my workplace cafeteria.

4 stars cause tables are not clean and not a lot of tables in side, but there’s a lot out side. In the weather

I don’t know how fair this review will be considering I’ve only ever really ordered one thing at Potbellys, but I love that one thing so much that it’s worth a review! The uptown salad is my go-​to item on their menu. The apples, grapes, blue cheese, cranberries and candied walnuts (MAKE SURE YOU GET THESE), all with the chicken and balsamic dressing go so well together and make for the perfect lunch that hits the spot. The chicken enchilada soup is also super yummy, and their frozen drinks are always a treat, although I would say their fruit smoothies taste more like milkshakes. Overall fast and reliable in the middle of the work day!

I really liked this place. I had an appointment nearby but had some time to kill, so I stopped in for a breakfast sandwich and cup of coffee. The coffee was good, the service was fast, and the egg & cheddar sandwich was warm and fresh (made-​to-​order). There was plenty of seating available, and I enjoyed the eclectic collection of things hanging on the walls and varied music that played over the speakers. I sat here and read/​ate/​drank for quite a while (maybe 45 min) and was left alone to enjoy.
Best part– my breakfast was under $ 4, which is cheap for a convenient location in the city.

First time and it was a bit overwhelming when the guy approached us in the line wanting to know what we wanted to order and we couldn’t even see the menu yet. I guess if you know the menu your ok, but he was a bit annoyed that we couldn’t rattle off what we wanted. Then the lady at the counter who wanted to know what condiments I wanted on my sandwich «mam“med be twice! I’m not that old — but actually, it’s more about the fact that I simply wasn’t aware of the proper procedure to moving through the line. All that said, now I know and I’m sure I’ll «perform» better the next time. I will return since we must frequently visit the hospital and the sandwiches were indeed great tasting for what they are. My husband truly enjoyed the soup which is also a plus.
Worth the learning curve

After visiting a patient across the street for a few days in a row, it’s nice to have a dependable great lunch here with friendly people. Roast beef and the Mediterranean sandwiches were good. The cookies are a must, chocolate chocolate chip and sugar cookies are worthy of their own store.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop should execute a solid meal at a reasonable price.
I stopped by for lunch during a recent visit at HUP. This place is just a short walk over the skybridge from the hospital. The restaurant is clean with plenty of seating outside and limited seating inside. The only complaint I have on a restaurant logistics standpoint is that the restrooms are quite a trek away across Penn Tower.
The ordering experience is streamlined nicely. It works much like your typical national sandwich joint. Order, move down the line, and pick your toppings. Pro tip: if you order a whole pickle, the staff will announce it in unison. That was entertaining in and of itself. I ordered a sandwich, a whole pickle, and a coffee. That came out to $ 6.97. It can be difficult to go out to lunch for under $ 7 anymore. I think that price is more than fair.
I would describe my food as okay. The coffee and the pickle were good, but the sandwich was underwhelming. I had the Skinny T-​K-​Y with a little bit of mayo, lettuce, and tomato on a multi-​grain roll. My roll had a slight plastic taste, like it sat in a bag too long. The roll was also on the dry side. Otherwise, the sandwich was balanced as far as meat, cheese, and veggies go, but it really lacked flavor. It just didn’t have that wow factor.
The last point I want to touch on is service. I have a hospitality background, so my expectations on service tend to be high. This place just lacked a certain fluidity that I believe is found in good service. The staff didn’t always engage in an upbeat and positive manner, although they weren’t negative either. They also didn’t have a sense of guiding customers through the ordering process, which I believe is critical. Like the food, the service wasn’t outstanding but was not awful either.
If you’re looking for a quick meal that has good value in the HUP area, this restaurant is a safe choice. That said, I would rather explore the other options in the area for something more creative, tasty, and executed with more attention.

Dependable, hot, delicious sandwiches. I wouldn’t say there’s anything special about this location, but they do serve up a quick, loaded sandwich. While the lines can back up to the door during lunch hours, they are efficient and will take your order in line to expedite the service. Standard toppings — mayo, mustard, hot peppers, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle, oil and Italian seasoning (they are always happy to give you extra if you ask) and usual drinks and chip selection. Milkshakes come short and stout — thick, full flavor with fresh ice cream — but oh so bad for you… The cookies are also a great sweet treat to add on to your meal and they are always baked fresh.
Maybe just don’t get both :)
Enjoy!

This is your average Potbelly sandwich shop, which is a good thing for me. I miss this place and I wish we had them in California since most of the sandwich chains here suck!
I usually get the Wreck with lettuce, tomato, mustard, and spicy peppers. Oh man the peppers are so delicious I regret not buying a bottle of them to bring back with me.
Good, friendly, folks who work at this location also!

Great food and great location. Stopped in many of times when my daughter was in CHOP. Will stop in again when ever in the area… Wish there was a sandwich shop like this back home.

Potbelly is solid and dependable food. Ordered the T-​K-​Y sandwich, which was plain, but good. The tomato soup has a nice little kick to it. My friend ordered the Oreo milkshake and wow, it tasted like a huge Oreo. There were also random mini Oreos served on the actual cup, too. There is a huge line around lunchtime, so I’d suggest coming before noon on any given weekday!

Solid and prompt. One of the best non-​food-​truck places to grab a meal in the Penn/​HUP area. The sandwiches are good, the salads are good, the desserts and shakes are good. My favorites are the Wreck and the Roast Beef sandwiches. ALSO: hot peppers!!!
I do have the suspicion that the sandwiches are getting smaller each time I go. Somehow the sandwich still manages to be a satisfying meal.
Beat the lunch rush by going at 11:30 or 1:30 instead of noontime. It makes a huge difference.

Being a doctoral student in Hoagie Studies, I can’t give my highest rating to the sandwiches here, but I will say that the staff does a fantastic job with lunch catering orders, and they are super nice.
The sandwiches are really OK, but don’t expect to be blown away. One of the main problems for me is that they toast their Italian hoagie. That is pretty much sacrilege. But, on the upside, their accompaniments are quite good. The sandwiches come with thinly sliced pickles (sliced longways) and a delicious hot pepper spread. For me, the best part of ordering from here is the pepper spread. Don’t miss it.
The staff is really great. Whenever we put in a lunch delivery order online, they call to confirm, always show up on time, and the driver is always super friendly. A+ for service.

This place is right by the hospital so it automatically get a large crowd of people coming through. Based on that the staff here really had to run a tight ship. That included having people take you order way in advance (when you’re in the back in the line) so that way they can start prepping your food faster. I appreciate that although I think online ordering and pick up is the most time efficient.
The food isn’t super interesting, but I have to admit the sandwich I get ⁸⁄₁₀ of the times is great (the Mediterranean with chicken, no roasted peppers and extra artichokes!).
Nothing to write home about, but a great lunch place.

This place is hit-​or-​miss. Usually a hit but when it’s a miss it’s often by a lot.
HITS: Prices are good. I can get a BIG salad, bag of chips and a drink cheaper than just a salad from other places close to campus. Online ordering — saves a LOT of time when you go to pick up during peak pick-​up times (see MISSES for more about that). Convenient location (on campus, across from both HUP & CHOP), fresh & good tasting food.
MISSES: Because of the way it’s set up you may sometimes tell three different people what you want before the person who’s going to make your salad asks you what you want (order online, you won’t have this problem). If you go anytime between 11:30 and 1:30 it gets CROWDED (again, order online). If you go at non-​peak times and don’t order online the staff might not be helpful (case in point, I was in there yesterday with SIX people not doing anything and no one would take my or the guy in front of me’s order). Occasionally the online order gets «lost» and isn’t ready for pick up (on the upside they will move you to the front of the line and make it pronto — this has happened more than 3 times, it wasn’t a fluke incident).
Overall, it’s a decent place on Penn’s/UPHS campus. Food is tasty & cheap. I use a meeting at the hospital to get a chicken salad salad a few times a month and I’ve been known to trek over there for food even when I don’t have a meeting.

I always get the Wreck Salad with the non-​fat vinaigrette dressing – I don’t know what they put in the dressing but it’s delicious. I always get extra on the side.
As far as price goes, I can’t comment on the sandwiches, but $ 5 and change for a salad isn’t bad in my opinion. Plus they’re big. I’m always full after eating one.
The drink selection is also good – I happen to love cream soda and black cherry soda and they stock both of them. Their milkshakes are also good.
Finally, the staff are always extremely pleasant to deal with. It’s nice to have such positive interactions with them despite the restaurant being packed and the line out the door.

I really like this place for a few reasons: everything is cheap (~$ 5), tasty, and service is fast and friendly. The only thing I don’t like about this place is its location– being on the far corner of campus makes it a little harder for me to justify actually going.
I’ve tried several of their sandwiches at some point or another and in general, after requesting all of the toppings (all free), I always find them very tasty. That said, the sandwiches are always a mess to eat, so I recommend taking a few napkins and a fork with you before you leave.
The salads here are not bad as well. My biggest complaint is the use of lettuce as the green. Naturally, I think you can get better deals elsewhere, but not a bad deal by any means.
Overall, very solid choice.

It’s like the better Subway.
Potbelly has high quality sandwiches made at the speed of any fast food sandwich shop. It’s like someone took Subway and said, «I can do that better.»
They have a decent selection of sandwiches, a couple of soups, some macaroni salad, and cookies. Oh, and their shakes are the awesomeness.
Great spot for that quick sandwich that sticks to your ribs.

You get a nice toasted sandwich from Potbelly although its a little on the small side, if you ask me. The shakes and smoothies are the bomb even if each shake has almost a full day’s worth of calories. Another plus is the fact that its conveniently located across the street from HUP and CHOP. They also have plenty of outdoor seating for those nice, sunny days.